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For Lord Venal’s Turkmenistan election sweepstake, you’ll have to wait!

The starting pistol has now been fired for Turkmenistan’s presidential election, which has been set for 12 February 2017. Lord Venal hopes soon to launch his election sweepstake, where lucky punters will be able to bet on who might be the winning candidate. However, with the race wide open at this early stage, Lord Venal implores all readers itching to place their bets to be patient for a little longer.

Let’s sum up the field so far. Three parties have already declared that they will put up candidates, the Democratic Party, the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Agrarian Party. The current incumbent, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, is also likely to throw his hat into the ring, possibly as an independent, possibly he will aim to be the candidate of the Democratic Party.

Yet a myriad of other parties are likely to step forward, including the Greens, the Nationalists, the Communists, the Reform Communists, the Conservatives and the Social Democrats. All are likely to hold nationwide primaries to select their candidates over the coming months, with town hall meetings eagerly awaited across Turkmenistan. Candidates and would-be candidates of all parties are likely to flood the country with tacky posters, TV ads and other gimmicks to win over potential supporters.

Lord Venal is also expecting a host of polling companies to produce timely and accurate polling data as the campaign progresses. It will be interesting to see how the TV debates between the leading candidates shape public opinion as polling day approaches.

So with the election so unpredictable, with no clear winner in sight so far – let alone candidates chosen for any of the parties likely to compete – Lord Venal is holding off on opening the betting. Do keep watching this page – you will be the first to know when you can place your bet in what promises to be the most exciting, most nail-biting election of 2017!